Oxis International Inc. said one of its products, ALT-2074, is scheduled to be developed by Synvista Therapeutics Inc for the treatment of psoriasis. ALT-2074 is one of Synvista's lead compounds under development for use in cardiovascular disease.
On April 9, 2007 Oxis entered into a worldwide license under which Oxis granted exclusive rights to its organoselenium portfolio of products, including BXT 51072, to Synvista Therapeutics, formerly Alteon, Inc. The license agreement expands the scope of a previous license to Alteon (formerly HaptoGuard) to include non-cardiovascular indications.
ALT-2074 (formerly BXT-51072), Synvista's lead compound under this license, is currently in a Phase 2 clinical study for cardiovascular indications. By mimicking glutathione peroxidase (GPx), ALT-2074 may protect against excessive oxidation of lipids and thereby limit inflammation. Synvista believes that the compound may be useful in patients with diabetes, whose cardiovascular disease may be caused by high levels of circulating oxidised lipids and associated inflammation. OXIS previously reported that BXT-51072 demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical studies as well as in a clinical study in Ulcerative Colitis.
"We believe that ALT-2074 is a logical choice for a potential therapy in mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis. TNF-alpha is an established target for drug development in psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases. The effectiveness of approved TNF antagonists may relate to their demonstrated ability to inhibit the induction of cell adhesion molecules and consequent migration of pro-inflammatory cells into inflamed tissue," said Noah Berkowitz, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, Synvista Therapeutics. "ALT-2074 can block TNF-alpha activated expression of cell adhesion molecules, I-CAM and V-CAM, which may be essential for cellular migration. As such, we believe that a topical formulation of ALT-2074 may be a promising therapy for mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis, without the side effects associated with systemic treatment using anti-TNF biologics."
"We have identified sites in Israel to perform a planned Phase 2 clinical trial for plaque psoriasis beginning mid-2008, pending approval from the Ministry of Health in Israel," added Dr. Berkowitz. "The Ministry of Health is already familiar with ALT-2074 since it approved its use in our ongoing Study 203. Based on our current timeline, assuming timely receipt of regulatory approval, we hope to announce study results in the fourth quarter of 2008. We expect this psoriasis program will help to expand our product portfolio and contribute to the long-term growth of Synvista Therapeutics while opening a new potential market opportunity for our product compounds."
Oxis International, Inc. develops technologies and products to research, diagnose, treat and prevent diseases of oxidative stress associated with damage from free radical and reactive oxygen species and the related increased inflammation that accompanies oxidative stress.